Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS's Rare Earth Flyby: Oldest Comet Ever Observed!

• Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS made its closest approach to Earth on December 19, a rare celestial event.
• It passed within 168 million miles (270 million km), one of the closest interstellar object encounters.
• NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft captured an image of 3I/ATLAS on November 6, released December 18.
• Discovered July 1, 2025, by ATLAS telescope, it's the third confirmed interstellar object.
• Estimated to be 7.6 to 14 billion years old, it's possibly the oldest comet ever observed, originating from outside our solar system.

Why It Matters: Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, possibly the oldest ever, made a rare close flyby of Earth.